9 Town Commercial Ballot 4 Marla & 8 Marla Plots

9 town 4 Marla commercial files have been a favorite of investors for some time now. In July this year DHA Lahore finally balloted the much awaited 4 Marla and 8 Marla commercial plots in DHA Phase 9 Town. 9 Town Commercial Ballot 4 Marla & 8 Marla came after a lot of wait and patience of investors. During this period we have seen the prices of 4 Marla rise to as high as 370 Lacs and we have seen a down side of as low as 240 Lacs.

Location

It is located next to Bedian road opposite Phase 6 of DHA Lahore and CCA 2 of Phase 6. On its west it has the main 100 feet road linking DHA Phase 6 to Phase 9 Prism.

The location of commercials in Phase 9 Town is generally average. I will not consider it a high end location as it is situated in a small 5 Marla community of DHA and neither has any central position in near future. It may become more central after the development of 9 Prism which may take 3 to 5 years. It is also important to note that Bedian road is small road and no major societies exist ahead of this area. Although an expansion plan is under consideration and will certainly effect these commercials positively.  One concern is the presence of CCA 2 of Phase 6 just on the opposite side of 9 Town commercial. Due to this very reason the commercial plots in Phase 6 CCA 2 are already more than 10 million plus in Phase 6 as compared to those in 9 Town.

Master Plan

The master plan of 9 Town 4 Marla commercials has changed as well. You can see from the latest map above that the 1 Kanal plots have been replaced with commercial plots as well. The total number of commercial plots now available are almost 473. Besides that a few mixed used commercial areas are also reserved for a JV or any venture that DHA may want to do in future.

It is not a very impressive layout, however that is the best DHA could achieve considering the limitations it had to face. Firstly the entire front on Bedian road is compromised as of now as the land owner has refused to sell the land to DHA . In future if DHA acquires this piece of land it will certainly impact the over all layout very positively. However for now we have to consider that it may not happen in near future and therefore all the trades will be happening as per the existing layout and availability.

Prices and market analysis

The file prices before balloting reached a maximum of 312 Lacs in July 2017. A lot of buying activity was also seen during June and July. However after the balloting things may have changed a bit now as the prices of plot will now depend on its location.

If you had a file and you have got a good location plot , you must consider yourself lucky and reap the benefits. If not and you have been allotted a location that is not easily selleable than it is some thing to worry as selling such a commercial plot may take some time and the price may be even lower than or equal to the file prices.

Plots on main roads, near Bedian road, Near DHA Phase 6 and 9 Prism link road will gain the maximum, where as plots facing boundary or behind main road may not offer you expected price increase.

It is also important to mention that it is not a developed area therefore you can not build any commercial here yet. It may take a year or so for DHA Lahore to develop this land and give possession. In case of possession you can easily expect a few years delay in construction of plazas and start of a proper commercial activity in this area.

In my opinion it can never be an A plus commercial area such as Phase 6 MB or Phase 8 Broadway specially in the presence of CCA 2 of Phase 6 right next to it. Commercial activity will therefore be slow however the prices are equally lower than A plus areas and therefore attracting investors who can not afford a 4 Marla plot in 5 to 6 crores.

Presently only one deal has been concluded by imlaak near plot on 250 at 375 Lacs. It is important to mention here that the prices include 1963000 development charges to be paid by the seller.

So this is generally a good sign if you are a seller and have been allotted a good location plot.

Recommendations

In my opinion the over all investment in 9 Town commercials is a good investment over all. Specially if you wish to hold it for long term. Presently it may not offer huge profits on short term but it will offer good returns in medium and even better returns in long term scenarios. The biggest plus point is its location on the through fair and in future if the plan for Bedian road expansion by Punjab Govt takes place it will substantially help the 9 Town commercial in E block.

• If you want to sell it this may be a good time to do so as there are buyers in the market because of the momentum created by balloting. In time this may subside and although may not effect the prices so much but will certainly increasing your selling time. Also i do not see any major rise in prices except if you are lucky to have got an excellent location. Sell in 9 town and investing in areas such as Rahber or Phase 8 where balloting is expected soon may be a good idea.
• If you want to buy than look for some plot which offers you a premium location. There is no point compromising on your plot location and the maximum price you should pay for a premium plot should not be more than 375 Lacs. However if the plot is on main road paying up to 400 Lacs is also not a bad deal.
• Lastly i will personally prefer investing any amount more than 375 Lacs in Broadway commercials rather than in 9 Town. But this is just my personal preference, i do believe that this will grow as well in time but its maturity will always coincide with development of 9 Prism.

Captain (Retd) Shahnawaz Yaqub Bhatti

Investment Consultant and CEO at Imlaak

Mob : +92 333 1717170 ( Whatsapp)